Department of Justice

Armed Crack Cocaine Dealer Sentenced to Over Six Years in Federal Prison

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams today sentenced Maurice Sanders (27, Jacksonville) to six years and one day in federal prison for possessing with the intent to sell crack cocaine and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Sanders had pleaded guilty on May 18, 2018.

According to court documents, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) conducted a citywide buy-bust operation on September 21, 2017. During the operation, a JSO detective observed Sanders pull a pill bottle from his pocket and give three different individuals crack cocaine in exchange for money. When Sanders was searched following his arrest, a JSO officer found a loaded .38 revolver in his pocket.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In October 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to develop districtwide crime reduction strategies, incorporating the lessons learned since the program’s inception in 2001. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.